Gearing.



J. 0. BIGKHOPF.

GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12, 1910.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,\vAsH|NuToN. D. c.

J. O. EIOKHOFF.

GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 1030.12, 1910.'

1,087,936. Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

2 SHBETQ-BHEET 2.

AMWW:

LANOGREUH CCL. WASHINGTpN. D. c.

JOHN C. EICKHOFF, O15 BLACKCREEK, WISCONSIN.

GEARIN G.

i..,oer,ese.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. @415 fi'tilt.

Application filed December 12, 1910. Serial No. 596,t%80.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN C. Eionrrorr. a citizen of the United States. and resident of Blackcreek. in the county of ()utagamie and State of l l isconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gearina; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description there. f.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and efficient curd-cutting machine, the invention being to a curd-cutting machine such as embodied in an application for patent for improvements in curd-cutting machines, filed by me December the 6th, 1909, Serial No. 531,535, the specific object of my present invention being to provide simple and effective means whereby power is applied to the various rotatory members of said curd-cutter.

"With the above object in view my invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

in the drawings Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view of a machine cmbodying the features of my invention, the section being indicated by line l -l of Fi 2; Fig. 2, a transverse sectional view of the same with parts broken away the section being indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1. and Fig. 3, a plan sectional view of the machine. with parts broken away to more clearly illustrate structural features. the section being indicated by line 33 of Fig. 1.

Referring by numerals to the drawings 1, 1, represents transverse timbers of a frame and 2, 2, longitudinal timbers thereof. Secured to the transverse timbers are parallel brackets 3 provided with bearings i for a power shaft 5 which shaft is also journaled in a bearing 44 that is secured to one of the longitudinal timbers of the frame. it section 5 of the driving shaft between the brackets 3 is preferably squared for the reception of a series of cutting disks 6 having squared central ape tures corresponding to the squared section of the drive-shaft. disks are assembled upon. the squared section of the driving shaft and spaced equal distances apart by means of thimbles 7, which thimbles also have squared. apertures and are mounted upon the shaft between the disks. as best shown in Fig. 3. The end disks of the series are held in position upon the driveshaft by means of jam-nuts 8 that are in applicable The screw-threaded connection with threaded sections of said shaft.

One end of the drive-shaft extends through its hearing t and has secured thereto a gear-wheel 9, the opposite end of which shaft carries a hand-crank 10. whereby power is applied direct to the cutting disks. A bar 10 estends parallel with and rearward of the powenshaft, being secured to cars 11 that project from a pair of arms 3 of a skeleton hanger 3 which hanger forms part of the bracket 3, and a shear-plate 12 extends across the front of the series of disks and is also secured by suitable bolts to the bracket 3. A series of flat metallic springs 13 are pivotally secured to a bar 10 by means of suitable bolts. the spring strips being extended beyond and interposed between the disks over the power-shaft with their foli'ward free ends arranged to rest upon the shear-plate 12. These springstrips thus form a yielding throat upon which the curd adapted to pass when the same is being fed through the machine. The hangers 3* terminate at their upper ends with bearin l-l for trunnions 15 of a feed roller 16. which roller constitutes a driven shaft and is adapted to engage the cutting edges of the disks, it being positively driven by a gearuvheel 17 fast upon one of its trunnions and in meshing engagement with the gear wheel 9 carried by the power shaft, the proportions of these gears being relatively such that the peripheral speed of the feed-roller and cutting edges of the disks are the same.

fin upwardly inclined trough 18 is arranged to extend from the rear edges of the disk series. the trough being supported by feet 3 that constitute part of the bracket 3. The bottom of the trough terminates just above the bar 10 that carries the spring' strips 13, there being a stay brace 19 secured to the bottom of the trough adapted to abut said bar. The trough. is provided with sidebars 20, which side-bars embrace the outer faces of the end disks of the series and terminate adjacent to the shearplate.

From the foregoing description it will be ween that motion from the power shaft will be imparted to the cutting disks and roller through its gear-wheel 9 that meshes with the gear-wheel 1?. Hence the feed-roller and cutting disks being rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow, the curd delivered therebetween from the trough will be drawn into the throat formed by said feed-roller and springstrips l8 and forced therethrough. The curd, while being forced through the throat, is split into a series of strips which are discharged upon the shearplate 12, at which point they are out into small cubes by a rapidly rotated cutting drum to be hereinafter particularly described.

Owing to the spring-strips being pivoted rearward and being free at their forward ends, a close adjustment or fit between the edges of the strips and disks is obtained without liability of any undue grinding or friction between the parts caused by endplay of the power-shaft, such end-play being the result of the application of hand power that will cause more or less end thrust incidental to pressure upon the hand crank. For this reason said spring-strips are arranged to permit slight lateral play and also to compensate for unevenness between the contacting surfaces. The disks being thus free to turn, they are scraped clear of any curd which may adhere to their faces, by the springstrips, prior to being discharged upon the shear-plate.

A transversely disposed arbor 22 is journaled in bearings that are formed in the bracket 3 rearward of the shear-plate, secured to which arbor are a pair of spaced arms 23. To the opposite ends of the arms are secured spirally disposed cutting blades 24 adapted to have shearing engagement with the shear-plate, said mechanism constituting a rotary cutting drum. Power is applied to the cutting drum by means of a large gear-wheel that is carried by the power shaft at a point intermediate of the feed-trough and hand crank, the said gearwheel being meshed with a toothed pinion 26 that is secured to the end of the cutting drum arbor 22, the opposite end of which arbor carries a balance wheel 27, the momentum of which seri es to steady the cutting drum motion, it. being understood that the cut of the knives is practically continuous due to the angular disposition of the knives, whereby the cutting edge of one overlap the cutting edge of the next knife with respect to the shear-plate.

A housing 28 is secured to the brackets 3,

the housing being extended over the cutting drum and feed-roller, whereby the curd, when cut, is confined and deflected to a point of delivery below said cutting drum.

I claim:

gear train for machines having a power-shaft, a driven shaft, supporting side brackets for the driven shaft and powershaft, an arbor mounted in bearings with which the brackets are provided, a gearwheel mounted upon the power-shaft at one side of the machine, a similar gear-wheel mounted upon an end of the driven shaft upon the same side of the machine and in mesh with the power-shaft gear-wheel, a large gearwheel mounted upon said powershaft at that side of the machine opposite the first mentioned set of gear-wheels, a pinion mounted upon the arbor in meshed engagement with the large gear-wheel of the power-shaft, a hand-crank mounted upon that end of the powershaft adjacent to the side of the machine carrying the arge gear-wheel, and a fly-wheel secured to that end of the arbor opposite its driving pinion whereby power applied to the powershaft through the crank is transmitted directly to the arbor upon one side of the machine and to the driven shaft upon the opposite side of said machine to provide a practical balance in the application of power.

2. A gear train comprising a power-shaft having a crank at one end and a gear-wheel at the opposite end, a driven shaft having a gear-wheel at one end in mesh with the power-shaft gear-wheel opposite its crank, a large gear-wheel carried by the powershaft at its crank-carrying end, an arbor, a small gear-wheel carried by the arbor in mesh with the large gear-wheel at the crankcarrying end f the power-shaft, and a flywheel at the opposite end of said arbor. In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Blackcreek in the county of Outagamie and State of l Visconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. EICKH FF.

lVitnesses:

vVELLA Gnrnsn, DELLA Gnmsn.

flspies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

